BEST BEER SELECTION IN A BAR Minneapolis 2007 - The Muddy Pig

According to Chinese astrology, it's considered good fortune to bear children during the year of the pig—which it happens to be. We're not advising you to go mate-shopping at our own pig—that is, the Muddy Pig—but it's a known truth that prospective partners look better after a few pints. This Selby-Dale watering hole featured a redoubtable menu of hoppy beverages even before its tap capacity climbed earlier this month. The selections are scrawled on a big black chalkboard, evidence that the Pig's beer menu is an ever-evolving smorgasbord. "We change, on average, two to three tap beers a week," notes owner Paul Schatz. "It's fun for us. We, after all, like beer, and it means there is always something new." In addition, there are 50-plus types of bottled beer to choose from. Local breweries are well represented with selections from Summit, Surly, and the upstart Flat Earth always available on tap for $5. You can also count on finding several beers with sufficiently high hops content to make your socks roll up and down, like Rush River Bubblejack IPA ($5). But the emphasis here is on Belgian beers. You can get the old standbys, like Stella Artois and Hoegaarden. Or opt for something more exotic. There's Rochefort 10, a Trappist ale that has a whopping 11.3 percent alcohol content (and goes for a whopping $10.50), or De Ranke XX Bitter, billed as the "hoppiest beer of Belgium." Of course there is also Miller Lite. As the Pig's menu notes: "If you must drink light beer it might as well be Miller."